Refer to the HR Reports in the Inquirer. Through past investments in recruiting and training Chester has obtained a productivity index of 109.5%. This means that Chester's labor costs would be increased by 9.5% if it did not have these productivity improvements. This is a competitive advantage that Chester can sustain or even widen further if its competitors have no HR initiatives. Now, refer to the Income Statement in Chester's Annual Report. How much did Chester's productivity improvements save it in direct labor costs (in thousands) last year?

In a fixed-term, level-payment reverse mortgage, sometimes called a reverse annuity mortgage, or ram, a lender agrees to pay the homeowner a monthly payment, or annuity, and expects to be repaid from the homeowner’s equity when he or she sells the home or obtains other financing to pay off the ram. consider a household that owns a $150,000 home free and clear of mortgage debt. the ram lender agrees to a $100,000 ram for 10 years at 6 percent. assume payments are made annually, at the beginning of each year to the homeowner. calculate the annual payment on the ram.